"People want to indulge": How Cinnabon thrives in an era of 'healthy eating'

'The ultimate indulgence awaits'. That's the text greeting visitors to Cinnabon's web site, accompanied by mouth-watering video of the company's famous cinnamon rolls and other delicious and delectable treats that definitely aren't on your diet.

So how does Cinnabon continue to thrive in an era when 'everyone' says they're eating healthier?

"As much as you talk about 'healthy, active lifestyle', there's no hummus chain sweeping the nation right now," President Joe Guith tells me in the accompanying video. "But there is a very real trend and something we need to address. How we have addressed it is by expanding our offerings to be more portable and different portion sizes."

The Cinnabon Bite, which Guith says has been "a terrific hit for us" -- has around 90 calories per. Cinnabon also recently introduced CinnaSweeties, bite-sized donut treats that look suspiciously like Munchkins from Dunkin' Brands.

Related: Boston Market aims to prove 'fast food' can be healthy too

"Moreover, the Chipotles and Five Guys of the world - these are some of the hottest concepts out there but burgers, fries and burritos are not remotely low cal," Guith notes. "But people want to indulge and when they indulge want to indulge better and for us it's about ingredients," citing Makara cinnamon from Indonesia as an example.  

In terms of the business of Cinnabon, the approach seems to be working: The privately-held chain has 1200 outlets in 55 countries with $1.2 billion in sales in 2014 and "very robust growth" today, according to Guith. Over 75% of the company's revenue come from direct sales of consumer products and license agreements for a variety of in-home products, including Cinnabon-infused Pinnacle vodka and bourbon (Jim Beam), Cream of Wheat and Cinnabon K-cups, which the company says are the third-most popular flavored K-Cup.

Related: KIND CEO: How we became the fastest growing nutrition bar in America

There's also a Cinnabon-infused Air Wick air freshener for those who just can't get enough of the intoxicating aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon buns. In all, Cinnabon has over 70 branded products sold in over 75,000 grocery and retail stores worldwide.

Watch the accompanying video to get Guith's take on this business, the company's burgeoning social presence and how the "Better Call Saul" integration came to pass.

Aaron Task is Editor-at-Large of Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter at @aarontask or email him at atask@yahoo-inc.com.